Microbrew Bar Business Plan

The Bottlecap

Executive Summary

The Bottlecap is a specialty beer tavern located near the campus of the University of Oregon.

The Bottlecap will be serving the university and the Eugene, Oregon community with a constantly rotating lineup of premium, unique microbrews for the discerning beer connoisseur.

The Bottlecap is a privately-funded venture lead by Dashiell Lavine and Tyler Vogel.

The Market
The Pacific Northwest is the premier microbrew center in the world. Oregon and Washington boast the highest number of microbrew facilities of any of the 50 states.

In addition to having a lot of production in this area, enjoying fine beers is a culture within itself in the Pacific Northwest, particularly Oregon. To be sure, the market for people that appreciate fine beers is huge.

The Bottlecap will be targeting three distinct customer segments. The first is the beer connoisseur, those that have a true passion for fine beers. This segment has a yearly growth rate of 12% with over 12,000 possible customers.

The Bottlecap will also be targeting the general bar attending crowd. This group are typically professionals that use taverns as a place to unwind after work and socialize. This section is growing at 8% with 30,000 potential members.

The last group that The Bottlecap will go after is the college students of the U of O. This group cares a bit less about the quality of the beer because they are more price sensitive. The number college students are growing at 10% and there are a total of 20,000 to draw off of.

The Competition
The Bottlecap has three direct competitors that are all centrally located near the U of O campus.

The Bottlecap is able to differentiate itself from these competitors through its emphasis on fine beer. The competitors more accurately targets the college students and their lower price point.

The Bottlecap's emphasis on an outstanding selection of premium beers is one of two competitive edges.

Its second competitive edge is a companion website that was developed as an active feedback mechanism for the customers to express their preference of the beer selection. This allows the customers to have a direct impact on the tap offerings. In addition to giving the customers what they want in terms of beer, it also provides the customer with a feeling of empowerment and a sense that The Bottlecap exists to truly meet their needs.

The Management Team
The Bottlecap was founded and will be run by Dashiell Lavine and Tyler Vogel.

Dashiell's experience is primarily from the restaurant industry. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Reed College, Dashiell went to work serving at Il Piato, a fine Italian restaurant in NW Portland.

Dashiell worked as a server for two years and then was asked to manage the entire restaurant. Dashill did this for five years, gaining incredible experience and insight regarding all aspects of running a restaurant, both front-end, customer oriented skills as well as back-end operations. The time spent at Il Piato solidified Dashiell's desire to be his own boss and remain in the restaurant/bar industry.

Tyler came from a more academic background as a CPA from Arthur Anderson (AA). Through school Tyler served in restaurants, but after graduation went to work for AA where he developed an incredible array of financial control skills.

Since it is well known that most restaurants die within the first year, Tyler's financial analysis and control skills will be indispensable in assuring a solid control mechanism to accurately track and manage the large cash sums that will travel through The Bottlecap every day.

The Bottlecap will be a successful venture as it serves the huge demand for premium beers.

The Bottlecap will offer customers a friendly social atmosphere where they can catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and enjoy fine beers. It is forecasted that The Bottlecap will reach profitability by month four and achieve approximately $73,000 in profits by year three.

1.1 Objectives

Below is a list of the objectives for The Bottlecap.

• Have eight or more good quality, hard-to-find beers on tap.
• Have business grow at least 10% per month.
• Create customer awareness of what The Bottlecap offers through the companion website. Measure popularity by tracking hits on the website.

1.2 Mission

To create an economically healthy organization that provides a variety of quality beers in a casual and classy environment that appeals to a wide range of customers.

1.3 Keys to Success

The keys to the success of The Bottlecap can be summarized by the following points:

• Maintain good relationships with reliable beer distributors.
• Well designed bar with a unique and entertaining atmosphere.
• Quality entertainment.
• Repeat customers.